Portrush, Northern Ireland – Scotty Schaeffler sent his first Sunday tee shot into the air, tapping for a kick-in birdie and launching an 18-hole cor crown.
The crowd erupted. Shane Lowry threw his hand into the air. The camera made his remarks as he headed towards the caddy.
“This game,” he said, “it’s going to make you mad.”
For almost every player on the field this week, the aphorism about golf is differently true. For Laurie, wearing a mind on his sleeve, the volatility of the sport he dedicated his life to is evident in his expression, following every shot. For someone like Rory McIlroy, emotions are an inexplicable part of his game, as he showed at the Masters at Augusta this year.
Then there’s Schaeffler.
Whenever he is on the golf course, his emotions seem to be protected. Xander Schauffele described it as “blackout” mode. Schaeffler’s Flow state is the way he is in his world, and he does not rely on anything other than hitting other shots and hitting better than anyone else.
Schaeffler sometimes got us a glimpse into what appears to unleash his frustration. A hollow that he didn’t expect. The slope where the ball doesn’t react as he thinks. They rarely abandon him from his game.
“You won’t see that much of an emotion because he continues to attack it like this,” Jordan Spieth said. “You see, if he misses a putt because he doesn’t miss a lot of shots, then when he’s on the green.”
On Sunday, Schaeffler’s final March at the Royal Portrush was a master class and the latest display of his advantage towards his fourth major championship and the third leg of his career grand slam. Schaeffler’s approach to the game he continues to conquer was further evidence that it was different from the others’.
“I don’t think the world of golf will see as much dominant as Tiger comes right away,” Schaufele said. “And here Scotty is taking the throne of that rule. He’s a man who’s hard to beat, and when you see his name on the leaderboard, it’s awful for us.”
All day long, Schaeffler’s path to victory seemed stress-free to the naked eye. He went along the first four holes, making three birdies, and it was hard not to help the crowd cheering for McIlroy feel defeated. On the fifth green, Schaeffler quietly sank another birdie putt and went up with seven shots. All he got was a light scattering of applause. The gallery then cheered for his misfortune when he left his approach shot on the third and sixth hole on the green.
Schaeffler tipped up to the surface and made it staring at the 16 footer for par. A malicious, tiger-like fist pump followed. It was the biggest display of emotions Schaeffler showed over the week.
“Bloody Hell,” one fan said, breathing.
“This is over,” another added.
It was over for a while, perhaps when Schaeffler shot a 64 on Friday. For some, that reality has now settled down.
“I think the crowd wanted to beat someone else this week,” Schaeffler said. “And I had to play some spoilers, and that was fun too.”
Unlike his current favorite of Patron and Green Jackets, Schaeffler is like an unknown force from the universe. Fans saw his greatness from afar and heard much about his inevitability. However, on Sunday, they began to witness the desperate despair that Schaeffler’s game could produce, as most rooted in McIlroy’s miracle.
He reached the 18th green and his victory margin was four years old. The Northern Ireland crowd (strong by thousands) had no choice but to give him a standing ovation.
“He was on a different level all week,” McIlroy said. “He’s been on another level for the past two years. He’s the bar we’re all trying to reach.”
The comparison between the history Schaeffler creates in his shuffle golf swing and the Tiger he keeps away is one thing, but what he did to give the sport the Goliath that one of his peers is about to defeat is probably even more impressive.
When the forest ruled, the bay he created between him and all others was further expanded by his athletic ability compared to others. Today, everyone on the tour is prioritizing fitness. Almost everyone beats it much higher, and everyone uses the same modern equipment to their advantage. This homogy separates two things: consistency and a mental approach. For the past three years, no one has come closer to the pursuit of greatness like Schaeffler. On Sunday, he once again explained his philosophy.
“It’s amazing to win an open championship, but at the end of the day you’ll be able to achieve success in your life, whether it’s golf, work, whatever it is, and it doesn’t satisfy the deepest desires of your heart,” Schaeffler said. “Are I grateful for that? Do I enjoy it? Ah, oh oh yes, this is a cool feeling. …It’s hard to explain when you’re not living it. That’s what I actually talked to with Shane this week.
When the final putt fell to 18, Schaeffler hugged Caddy Ted Scott and allowed him to smile. Schaeffler then rushes towards his family to meet him on the green, and he finally breaks the character. He took off his white Nike hat, raised his arms in the air, screaming as his face was distorted with ecstasy.
Schaeffler tells us that this is again and again, the trophy, praise, comparisons with Tiger, historic achievements – does nothing to satisfy him. Being a father and husband does so. Take him with his words or not – hints of what he was in his way existed throughout that 18th Green Sunday.
Schaeffler’s son, Bennett, played in the grass with a plastic club as his family awaited his return to the trophy ceremony. His mom, Diane, and wife Meredith, took it in the moment while her father Scott pulled out his phone and recorded the scene.
Scott chats up a nearby ex, sharing Scotty’s childhood story, screaming out that he bouncing off a double bogey on No. 8, acknowledging that his son is preaching the same kind of message that he supports every time, while maintaining his history of golf.
“He’s not thinking about it, he never has it. He just likes, ‘For now, I’m good at what I do,'” Scott said. “I always told him that joy was on the journey. You don’t know what you’ll find along the way.”
As Spieth said, “He doesn’t mind being a superstar. He doesn’t transcend the game like Tiger. He just wants to run away from the game and separate the two. I think that’s the difference between the other superstars you saw in modern times and the other superstars you probably saw in sports.
In some respects, it is a convenient approach. But at Schaeffler it doesn’t take long to realize that it’s authentic. Unlike Woods and many other players before him, Schaeffler doesn’t crave the spotlight. He will do his best to fight it off. But his game cannot help itself – it keeps him there.
“There are two chipotles that I eat at home,” Schaeffler said. “I have one right I grew up in and I’m close to SMU’s campus. If I’m going to that chipotle and try to eat today, that would be very difficult for me.
As the sun sets in Portrush on a summer night, Schaeffler returned to the 18th green as the most famous man in the trophy arena. Soon, words came from the mouths of R&A CEO Mark Darbon.
“This year’s champion golfer, Scotty Scheffler.”
His family looked at each other and smiled.
“I don’t think it’s anything special just because you’re good at filming lower scores than other people,” Schaeffler said. “As in some circles, like I do now, I’m the best player in the world. This week I was the best player in the world. I’m sitting here with the trophy.
Schaeffler is right. The show continues, but evidence continues to build up. A game where no one else is always bent on his own will is what he’s breaking.